


Domino

by Carbon65



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman and Robin (Comics), Titans (TV 2018)
Genre: Costumes, First Child, Gen, Humor, Masks, latex allergy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-26
Updated: 2019-02-26
Packaged: 2019-11-06 05:24:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17933672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carbon65/pseuds/Carbon65
Summary: There are plenty of things Dick Grayson thinks the subsequent Robins should not thank him for. He was the guinea pig foreverythingfrom Bruce's attempts at parenting to the current Robin suit. Especially the current Robin suit.





	Domino

There are plenty of things Dick Grayson thinks the subsequent Robins should not thank him for. The fact that he got Batman into the whole idea of _having_ a Robin to help him. That Bruce has [mostly] figured out how to give a sex talk. The awkwardness of the first discussion he and Bruce had was… Dick has endured worse since. One of twice. But, it still ranks in the top ten worst conversations of his life. And, Dick has had plenty of occasions to have bad conversations in his life. The sex talk had left him with a stack of books. Most of them have disappeared, but _The Keeping and Caring of You_ (definitely for girls, but somehow still very useful) should also be on the list of things his younger siblings Robins thank him for. He’s seen it move down the line, the dog eared copy is currently residing on Damian’s bookshelf at the manor, the thin paperback stuck tight against the shelf by a copy of Dostoevsky’s _Crime and Punishment_. They should thank him for preparing the teachers at Gotham’s various schools for the odd hours and things a Wayne ward does. But, as he pulls off Batman’s helmet and cowl, he wonders if he should apologize to them for Robin’s domino mask. Or, if that’s something else they should thank him for. 

It was Bruce’s idea, to start with. He thought that Dick needed a way to conceal his identity. Because an undisguised acrobatic kid running around with Batman would make it clear that he - Dick - was Robin and therefore Bruce had to be Batman. Bruce’s first solution was a dig out a pair of ski goggles for him. Bruce’s first solution didn’t even make it out of the house. So, eventually, they settled on little half mask, the domino, to conceal his identity. (He was somewhat pleased to learn that the name of the mask had less to do with the game of dominos and more to do with medieval lords. It makes him feel like a badass. 

However, the first version, the one that tied behind his head with a cheap elastic strap and looked like it had been bought from a party store? That was terrible. A misplaced knife throw almost cut the ties, and exposed his identity.  
Batman benched Robin for a week after that. Coincidently, Dick was grounded for sassing two teachers and giving Assy Saladin the (wrong) answers to a geometry quiz.

They tried adhesive after that. Medical grade adhesives are designed to stick to the skin for extended periods. Anything that can stand up to sweat and water and friction and whatever else Dick can come up with to throw at it is also designed to be worn for several days. There are even special preparatory wipes that makes the skin _extra_ sticky so the adhesive will stick better. But, the advantage of a water proof, sweat proof, breathable, movable, longwear adhesive is that its a water proof, sweat proof breathable, movable, long wear adhesive. You can’t just… pull the mask off if you want a quick get-away. You actually have to go home and use some sort of removal product. In the batcave, there are bottles of make-up remover and spirit gum remover and at least three empty boxes of unisolve wipes to get the stuff clean. Plus, there’s the inconvenient problem that you have to be somewhere to… actually put it on. He tries to convince Bruce to get him a box of domino masks shaped to his face with medical grade tape that he can just pull off for Robin’s birthday. Bruce just snorts and tells him alter egos don’t have birthdays.

Eyelash glue is less conspicuous, and designed to be removed with make-up remover. That’s a pro. A con is that the good one contains latex, and it turns out that Dick might kind of be allergic to latex. Maybe. Possibly. Definitely. And that was a fun one to try and explain to Kori when it happened. He thought he’d grabbed latex free from his wallet, and he’s pretty sure she pulled the magnum from her purse. It was… yeah. No. Not thinking about it. Hives are awful. Hives there… nope.  
Even if he hadn’t his own insurance, he thinks he would have paid for it out of pocket just so Bruce would never know.

Also, the other problem with eyelash glue is that it turn out its really easy to glue your fingers together with it. It’s tight and scaly and quite expensive when you’re trying to use it. Not quite as bad as superglue, a fourteen year old Dick discovered. (The corollary being that if you regularly use an adhesive in a small squeeze tube to put things on your face, you should probably also not keep superglue in your bathroom. An observation not at all related to the fact that if you’re going to superglue your mask to your face by accident, you should really do it in the summer. Because while it itches something fierce, it’s better than missing three weeks of school and enduring daily exfoliating sessions while you’re forced to hide in the manor.

Finally, for Robin’s third birthday (just after Dick’s sixteenth), Batman comes up with a solution. His “suit guy” (“costumer”, the circus in Dick says) puts together a mask that combines the best part of a really good pair of goggles with the benefits of the mask. Its got the eye protection Alfred has been lobbying for since the beginning. The design is lightweight, afixed with a broad elastic band that’s difficult to cut. There’s extra tape that can be used, if its needed to really keep the mask on there, and vents that can be opened or shut by the click of a button on the utility belt.

Really, everything is perfect about it. Except the color. The first version comes in a sickly shade of pink that reminds Dick of hospital rooms and dental castings. Neither Dick or Robin are particular fans of the dentist.

The second is garish and gold. It looks more like a fashion accessory than something for a vigilante. Robin laughs at it and says it looks like something one of the Waynettes of the week would wear. Dick Grayson discovers the idea of “actions and consequences”, which is Alfred for, “You did something stupid and oh look, it’s time to shampoo the carpets in the west ballroom and gallery”. Shampooing carpets is hot, sticky work. Particularly when you’re still trying to rub bits of superglue and plastic leatherette off your cheeks.

The third version is perfect. Black, tapered, and fitted ot his face. Robin celebrates by going out and getting himself _covered_ in the all the grim Gotham has to offer, while Batman wonders what he did wrong with the boy.

When he becomes Nightwing, Dick goes back to Bruce’s special costume maker to get his own mask done. He still keeps a bottle of prost-aid under the sink. And, of course, he and all the Robins who will come after (not to mention Bruce, Selina, and probably half of the members of the justice league) keep UniSolv adhesive remover in their wallets, right along side the latex-free condoms.

**Author's Note:**

> Unisolv is a medical-grade adhesive remover. It stinks to high heaven and is highly flammable, but it enough of them will remove most things. 
> 
> This was 100% not inspired by the crust of gray-black adhesive link clustering around my taped on medical devices, or a desire to torture Dick Grayson.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. Comments, questions, concerns, recommendations, anecdotes, and completely unrelated tangents all entirely welcome!


End file.
